1.Country/corresponding immigrant community:
For the semester I’ll be reporting on the International student community enrolled in American colleges in NYC. This population is also referred to as “F1” students. I picked this community due to the recent ICE order that the Trump administration tried to implement in the summer, that was finally reversed, as well as the COVID-19 crisis. Both these major events have impacted the journey of international students on the American soil and I plan on reporting stories about students who are currently in the states, as well as students who went back to their home country for the semester. If I can find interviewees who are enrolled as freshmen but couldn’t enter the USA and are willing to share their story I would also like to include it in my work. These would compose the three stories I want to report throughout the semester.
The term international students refers to a specific population holding a F1, M1 or J1 visa whose stay in the USA depends on many criteria:
- must be enrolled in an “academic” educational program, a language-training program
- must be approved by the Student Exchange Visitors Program, Immigration & Customs Enforcement
- must be enrolled as a full-time student at the institution (12 credits minimum per semester)
- must be proficient in English or be enrolled in courses leading to English proficiency
- must have sufficient funds available for self-support during the entire proposed course of study (bank statement)
- must maintain a residence abroad which you have no intention of giving up.
2.How many live in the US? In the tristate area? How many in the home country?
According to Educationdata.org, in 2019 the total number of international students enrolled in US colleges was 1,095,299 which represented 5.5% of the total US student body.
When it comes to the tristate area it’s a little complex to say how many students there are, but for the sake of my stories I want to focus on students who are enrolled in the CUNY system, where more data can be found. According to the CUNY official website, there are more than 9,000 F1 students spread out throughout the various CUNY campuses with about 1,600 at Baruch College and over 800 at BMCC (my previous school).
Sources: https://educationdata.org/international-student-enrollment-statistics/
https://www.cuny.edu/academics/international-education/isss/
3.What jobs do a significant percentage of them have?
Because of the visa international students hold, which is only valid to study in the states, legally they are allowed to work only for the university’s system they are enrolled in. In consequences many students work as tutors, notes takers, college assistant. Despite the risks of taking a job outside of their university system, (loss of visa) many of them often do so in order to pay their tuitions that is twice the amount of in-state students. In these cases students work as babysitters, bartenders, waiters etc.
4.Why did they come? When?
In a lot of cases, F1 students come to the United-States to get a good education from valued universities. The large selection of majors is also appealing to students who find themselves at lack of interest in their home country, where only a few subjects are made available. For some coming to the USA is also a way to ensure a more secure future for themselves and their families. Based on interaction I had with students from West African countries, many of them decide to pursue a degree in engineering or architecture with the goal to go back home and help develop their countries. However, according to Statista the majority of F1 students in the USA come from China and India.
5.What are some major organizations/advocacy groups/resources in this community?
In about every school welcoming international students, there are clubs made especially for the international student community. These are student-driven, and allow people to interact while also getting important information regarding how to maintain a visa for instance. From school to school, advocacy groups are also created on social media.
https://www.bmcc.cuny.edu/event/international-coffee-hour-fall-welcome-3/
https://www.bmcc.cuny.edu/admissions/international/
https://studentaffairs.baruch.cuny.edu/studentlife/student-activities/student-clubs-organizations/
The community leader I interviewed is a specialized advisor for international students, who works for BMCC since 3 years and is in charge of the International student office.